Jaguars' Grant Udinski Is Clear Winner From Browns' Coaching Search

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- This week, Jacksonville Jaguars offensive coordinator Grant Udinski looks like a clear winner.

Udinski was seemingly a finalist for the Cleveland Browns' head coaching role and also interviewed with the Buffalo Bills for their vacancy, but this week, he made his return to the Jaguars official for 2026. And after the dust settled from the Browns' coaching search, Udinski looks like he made it out the most unscathed.

Udinski is a Big Winner

The Browns ultimately went with former Baltimore Ravens offensive coordinator Todd Monken as their new head coach, which certainly contradicts what so many theorized on Monday when Udinski officially pulled his name out of the running for the Browns' job. For some reason, there was a perception that Udinski was never in the running for the job, but the hiring of Monken clearly depicts his decision in a different manner.

grant udinski — Jacksonville Jaguars Offensive Coordinator Grant Udinski, answers questions after the Jacksonville Jaguars’ 18th and final training camp practice at Miller Electric Center in Jacksonville, Fla. Wednesday August 20, 2025. [Doug Engle/Florida Times-Union] | Doug Engle/Florida Times-Union / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The idea that Udinski would ever drop out of consideration for the job because the Browns had already decided to give the job to Jim Schwartz or Nate Scheelhaase the job. This, of course, never made any sense because the Browns had yet to have their second interview with Scheelhaase by the time the Jaguars and Udinski agreed to a new deal that gave him a pay him.

There is also the idea that Udinski and the Browns were not a fixed marriage because of the Jim Schwartz issue. Schwartz has led one of the NFL's best defenses in Cleveland for years now and seemed like a natural direction for Cleveland to go in as head coach, though there is belief that the Browns wanted to pair Schwartz as a defensive coordinator with an offensive-minded head coach.

If there was any perception that Udinski wasn't going to get the Browns' job because he wasn't open to the pairing with Schwartz then, well, that idea just got blown out of the water too because Schwartz does not appear to be set to be Monken's defensive coordinator, either.

In short, it now appears more so than ever that there were no mitigating factors when it came to Udinski and the Browns. He simply deemed the Bills head coach job and being the Jaguars' offensive coordinator as better jobs and better fits for him than the Browns job.

At the end of the day, Cleveland's hire of Monken and the fallout with Schwartz completely vindicates Udinski's decision, resulted in him getting a pay raise with the Jaguars, and now sets him up to be a top candidate a year from now.

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